Spinal cord injury in the elderly.

Caring for patients who have sustained an SCI requires the nurse to be knowledgeable in the pathophysiology of the disorder, the sequelae following the injury, and the nursing care activities. Additional knowledge is required of the nurse when the patient with SCI is elderly. The nurse must be familiar with the changes in the body systems caused by aging, the alterations in the spine from aging, and how these changes impact the sequelae and nursing care activities.